The Caja Rural – Seguros RGA team has announced the signing of Frenchman Yannis Yssaad for 2018. Yssaad comes across from the French Armee de Terre Continental team coming off the back of an impressive season.

The twenty-four year old has five wins to his name this season. The most prestigious of these wins came in Paris – Troyes in March. He built on this win by taking stages in the Ronde de l’Oise , two stages of the Trofeo Joaquin Agostinho and taking the sixth stage of the An Post Ras in Ireland.

Yssaad is known for his fast finish and will join Colombian arrival Nelson Soto in boosting the teams sprinting ability.

Yssaad: “My goal was to evolve to a high level and that is what Caja Rural-Seguros RGA have given me the chance to be able to do. I’m really happy to be able to join the team. Everything will be new to me, I always raced in a French team but I don’t care. I immediately had a good feeling with the manager, Juan Manuel Hernandez, and that is the main reason why I joined the team. We have a common goal that is to win races.

I am always helpful, I always give 100% to my teammates or myself. I like all the races but what I like most are the sprint finishes and especially when it’s slightly uphill. It is a beautiful team with a beautiful race calendar and I intend to honor the jersey for next season.”
The team has also confirmed the renovation of veterans Lluis Mas and Fabricio Ferrari.

After a turbulent end to 2016 where he suffered serious injury in the Vuelta España, 2017 was somewhat of a comeback year for Lluis Mas. This year he took the sprints jersey in the Tour of the Basque Country (UWT).

The Mallorca followed this up by winning the mountains classification in the Boucles de la Mayenne (2.1). After a string of consistent performances throughout the year he was called into the Spanish team for the World Road Race Championships in Bergen, Norway. Mas will enter his fifth season with the team.

Fabricio Ferrari, has been in the team since 2010 and is the longest serving member of the current squad. The Uruguayan has tasted success this year finishing third overall in the Vuelta a Madrid (2.1) as well as fourth place on stage 2 of the Giro della Toscana (2.1).